Esme's Family Valentine's Day
by Sara K M
Summary: Esme and her family help Renesmee prepare for her first Valentine's Day. Afterwards, she and Carlisle spend Valentine's Day reflecting on their family. Canon.


ESME'S FAMILY VALENTINE'S DAY

 **Disclaimer: I don't own** _ **Twilight.**_

 **I hope you don't mind I'm posting this a few days after Valentine's Day.**

"How about I curl your hair, Nessie?" Esme could hear Rosalie ask as Nessie got dressed. Renesmee was going to her first Valentine's Dance at the middle school.

"Yeah, I think that would be nice, Aunt Rosalie," Nessie agreed.

"Don't forget to accessorize!" Alice exclaimed. "What about this?" Esme decided Alice was probably showing Nessie some jewelry.

"Okay," Nessie agreed to whatever Alice had shown her.

Esme would like to help Nessie get ready as well, but recently, all the Cullen's had realized they were hovering around their youngest member too much. So Esme forced herself to stay in the background while Alice and Rosalie helped Nessie primp. It was nice that the girls were so happy tonight.

In the background, Esme could also hear Jasper, Emmett, and Jacob playing video games. It sounded like they were pretty happy as well. Esme smiled. She loved it when her family was content. Of course, Valentine's Day was usually a happy occasion in their home, but somehow it seemed even better this year. Perhaps because Nessie was kind of participating as well?

Eventually, Nessie, Alice, and Rosalie came downstairs. "Ta – da!" Alice exclaimed, pointing at Nessie. "Isn't she perfect?"

Nessie had on black jeans and a deep red sweater with cables on it. Alice and Rosalie had helped Nessie pick it out the outfit last week. Her "accessory" appeared to be Alice's silver necklace with a butterfly on it. The ends of Nessie's hair was also curled. Rosalie had been hoping to buy a dress, apparently, but Nessie insisted that _no one_ wore dresses to middle school dances.

"Absolutely," Esme agreed. "You look wonderful, Sweetheart," she told Nessie as she gave her a big hug.

"And you two did such a great job helping her," Esme added, hugging both her daughters as well.

Alice and Rosalie both beamed.

Edward had been standing in the corner so quietly with Bella that Esme hadn't even noticed they were there. Esme scolded herself mentally for that. How could she simply _not notice_ two of her children? Regardless of how exciting it was to watch Nessie get ready tonight, Edward and Bella were important, too. But now Edward came forward and looked at Nessie's outfit carefully, several times. Esme noticed Bella tried to comfort him with touches and whispers as he did so. Finally, Edward nodded. "I think you look nice, Renesmee. I do hope you have a good time."

Esme was _so_ proud of Edward in that moment. She knew his instinct was probably to tell her that there was something wrong with the way she was dressed, so Nessie would have to change. Or there was some other reason she couldn't attend this dance. But Edward didn't, even though it had to be _very_ hard for him. _You did well with that, son. I'm proud of you,_ she thought to him.

Edward smiled at her. "And don't worry that you didn't notice us before, either," he whispered. "It was the way we wanted it."

Well, that made Esme feel _a little_ better.

Meanwhile, Nessie was giving Jacob a hug. "I wish you could go too, but I guess you're too old," she commented to him. Esme turned to watch the exchange with interest. Currently, Jacob and Renesmee treated each other like brother and sister, but perhaps things were changing a little?

"Maybe you can be my Valentine, anyway?" Jacob suggested.

Nessie nodded. "I'd like that."

"Now wait a minute – " Edward began, sounding angry despite Bella being next to him.

" _Just for fun,_ Edward," Jacob told him. "Chill out, alright. I know you're normally cold, but sometimes you need to…I don't know…"

Jacob and Edward looked at each other intensely for several minutes. Esme got ready to break up a fight if she needed to. But Nessie beat her to it. "Dad, this dance is a big deal to me. I want to go and have fun with my human friends for a while. I'd like to go in a good mood, without my family fighting, okay?"

Edward nodded. "All right Renesmee," he told her as he gave her a hug. "Sorry, Jacob."

Jacob nodded.

Esme picked up her camera. "Can I take some pictures before you leave?"

Nessie smiled and nodded. Esme took pictured of her granddaughter in several different poses. She took pictures of Nessie with her parents. She had just taken a picture of Nessie with Alice and Rosalie when Esme suddenly heard a familiar car. Carlisle was home! He would be able to see Nessie before she left.

"Hello, everyone," he greeted them all. He was holding a red tulip growing in a pot. Esme smiled into his eyes, showing her thanks and her love. Carlisle knew she preferred potted plants to cut flowers. He smiled back but then put the plant down. "Are you ready for your first dance, Nessie?" Carlisle asked their granddaughter.

Nessie nodded. "Yes, Grandpa, I am! And if Grandma will finish taking all these pictures, we'll finally be able to leave!"

Everyone laughed.

Carlisle gave Nessie a hug. Then he told her, "You know one of Grandma's favorite decorating tools is pictures of all the people she loves. So she always needs more pictures."

"I suppose so," Nessie agreed.

"In fact, I'd like to get one more picture. Of you and Grandpa, Nessie."

Nessie nodded and stood next to Carlisle. He rested his arm on her shoulder in that sweet, gentle manner he was famous for. Esme snapped the picture. "Perfect."

"Can I go now?" Nessie asked. "I'm ready for this dance!"

Everyone laughed. "I suppose we should take you then," Bella commented. "Come on, Edward," she told him, leading him to the car. Esme thought about how odd that looked. She was used to _Edward_ leading Bella, not the other way around. Especially when they were going in the car. Esme supposed it showed how reluctant Edward was to drop his daughter off at this dance.

Finally, Edward, Bella, and Renesmee left.

Jacob took off into the woods.

The rest of the family watched the car disappear for a few moments. It had been exciting, watching her prepare for her first dance. But Esme supposed it was a little bittersweet, that Nessie wasn't so little anymore.

"Come on," Alice tugged on Rosalie's hand. "Now that she's gone, we should get ready, too." Their husbands had planned to take them to some clubs to celebrate Valentine's Day.

As they disappeared upstairs, Esme turned to Carlisle and sniffed the flower. It didn't smell like _blood_ or even like _Carlisle_ , but it still had a mostly pleasant aroma. "Thank you for the new plant," she told him as picked it up and stroked it. "You always know what to give me, don't you?"

"I try," he replied smiling at her in a way that showed all of his love. They gazed at each other for a few minutes.

"I should find a good place to put this," Esme commented picking the plant up. "In front of the big window, maybe? Or on the dining room table?" She tried both locations before deciding the plant was better on the dining room table. "It gives the table more color, don't you think, Carlisle?"

"Of course," he replied, in a voice that showed he was just humoring her. She didn't mind.

"Esme are you sure you don't want to go out as well, tonight?" Carlisle asked as Alice and Rosalie came down the stairs. "I don't want you to think you have to stay home…"

Esme chuckled. He was sweet, but sometimes he still felt the need to overcompensate for Charles behavior. Carlisle often asked her if she was happy staying home, if she was happy in a certain location or if she would rather live somewhere else, and if there was _anything else_ she needed. "Carlisle, if I _wanted_ to go out, I would have said so. I'd much rather wait here for the children to come home. It makes me feel…motherly."

"All right," Carlisle agreed kissing her softly. As their other children waved goodbye and disappeared in their cars, he commented, "I hope Edward plans on meeting the others at the club. I have a feeling he may talk Bella into _keeping an eye on Nessie_ at the dance."

Esme nodded. It was very possible, and Nessie probably wouldn't be happy about that. But she still didn't want to worry about such things tonight. "Well, if they do, there isn't much we can do about it now, is there?"

"You're right. Of course."

"Come. Look at the pictures with me," Esme suggested. She loaded up the computer and showed Carlisle all the pictures she'd taken of Nessie before he got here. "She looks wonderful, doesn't she?"

Carlisle nodded. "She's really growing up."

"Yeah."

After that, they looked at all the pictures Esme had taken of the family at their most recent graduation. Then she brought out the old photo albums and they looked at old prom pictures and wedding pictures. Their family. The family they built together. It was a perfect way to spend Valentine's Day for both of them.

"Look," Carlisle pointed to one of the pictures. "It's one of Rosalie and Emmett's weddings."

Esme laughed as she looked at it. "I thought that dress was _far_ too reveling, but she loved it."

"So did Emmett," Carlisle added, chuckling a little.

"And here's Edward when he graduated medical school for the first time," Esme commented, pulling out an even older picture.

Carlisle nodded. "I was so proud of him for receiving the degree. He was pretty upset that he couldn't handle the blood enough to practice…but…I don't think he understood what an achievement just receiving _the degree_ was.

Esme nodded and kissed Carlisle. Edward was always comparing himself to Carlisle. When he realized he couldn't actually _practice_ medicine, he'd thought he'd failed. "I think he's doing better now, though," Esme told him. "Ever since what happened with Bella…"

Carlisle nodded and turned the page of the album. "Here's Bella and Edward at the prom for the first time."

Esme smiled. "I was so happy Edward finally had a real date."

"And now he always has a date," Carlisle commented.

"Like we do," Esme added, looking right at him.


End file.
